Don't Walk Away
by gategirl
Summary: Sequel to Tender Moments. Elizabeth is in trouble ... again. And Jason is the only one who can save her.
1. Disclaimer&Author's Note

TITLE: Don't Walk Away  
  
AUTHOR: Liz (liz84118@hotmail.com)  
  
SUMMARY: Sequel to Tender Moments  
  
RATING: PG - PG-13  
  
DISCLAIMER: Ok, I don't own characters (wish I did) made this story up, didn't make any money off it, blah blah, you know the rest.  
  
Feedback: Yes please ;-) It makes my whole day.  
  
Author's Notes: I would really like to thank Joy, my beta reader. She gave me a lot of good feedback and tons of ideas. Without her help, this story wouldn't be what it is. 


	2. Chapter 1

"There you go. Now you're all fixed up." Elizabeth had just finished cleaning up the cut over Jason's left eye. She started to put the things back into the first aid kit, but Jason noticed a slump in her shoulders and the way she refused to look into his eyes.  
  
"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" Jason asked leaning forward from his place on the couch.  
  
He hooked his finger under her chin prodding her to look at him. She looked into his eyes then, and what he saw there hurt his heart. Elizabeth's eyes were filled with tears.  
  
"Elizabeth?" He asked concerned. "I'm fine Jason." She said standing up, pulling away from him. She started walking towards the other room.  
  
"Elizabeth." He said sternly, rising to his feet.  
  
She stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around to look at him.  
  
"Talk to me." He beseeched her.  
  
"I always forget that you know when I lie to you." She turned around to face him.  
  
They were only standing a few feet away from each other, but to Jason it felt like Elizabeth was a whole world away.  
  
"What happened to Zander?" She asked him, her voice faltering. Jason didn't answer, just stared. "You don't have to answer. I can guess. I know that you did it for me, and I'm so grateful that you came to save me. And I do love you Jason. So much, much more than I ever thought I would ever be able to love again." She sighed, a deep sigh.  
  
"I know that you did it for me. To protect me. And it makes me feel .. like I killed him myself." Her statement hung in the air between them. Elizabeth shivered, suddenly finding it unbearably cold. Jason rubbed his face tiredly.  
  
"Elizabeth .. " He started, but she interrupted him.  
  
"I don't want you to tell me that I'm not responsible for his death. I am. If I hadn't led him on. If I hadn't used him to make myself feel better while we were trapped in the crypt. If I hadn't provoked him, he might still be alive today."  
  
Her tears had started to flow freely now. And as much as she tried, she couldn't stop them from falling. He wanted to hold her in his arms forever and shield her from any pain. He felt like his heart was in a vise and with each sob he felt it grow tighter. He walked to her quickly and enveloped her in his arms.  
  
She clung to him desperately, sobbing hysterically.  
  
"A man .. is dead .. because of me." She sobbed against his chest. 


	3. Chapter 2

After a few minutes she pulled back from him and hastily wiped her tears away. "I think that I need to be by myself for a while. I need to clear my head." She explained.  
  
Jason nodded. "I understand. I'll have someone take you wherever you want to go."  
  
Elizabeth shook her head.  
  
"I think that I'd like to walk for a while." Jason shook his head and started to tell her that it wasn't safe. She stopped him, putting a finger to his lips. "No discussion Jason. I need to be ALONE, & you know how I feel about guards. Please respect my wishes."  
  
"I don't like it, but I will respect your wishes." He said as she walked towards the door. "Elizabeth." Jason said as she was opening the door. She turned around, the door standing open as she waited to hear what he had to say. "Call if you need me." She smiled, and nodded.  
  
Jason couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that told him something wasn't right as he watched Elizabeth walk out of the penthouse. He should put a guard on her, he knew that. But she had asked him not to, and he wanted to respect that. Making a decision, he quickly grabbed his jacket and headed to the door.  
  
Elizabeth walked down towards the docks. She didn't know why she had said she needed to be alone. She hadn't wanted to leave Jason. They had just made so much progress with their relationship and here she was pulling away again. She should have stayed and talked to Jason about how she was feeling.  
  
She was about to turn around and head back to the penthouse to talk to Jason when someone grabbed her from behind. She thrashed around violently, trying to free herself. Finally succeeding she started to run for all that she was worth.  
  
Jason had stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs, watching Elizabeth. As soon as he saw the man attack Elizabeth he was down the stairs to help. Jason couldn't see the man's face because it was covered with a black ski mask but he could tell that it was a man from his build. Elizabeth freed herself from the man and ran away. As the man in the mask was about to give chase Jason intercepted him.  
  
Jason threw a few punches at the man, who dodged all but one. Jason landed a good solid jab to the guys' midsection. Jason's small victory was short lived however. He saw the glint of metal a little too late to do anything but deflect the blow a little. The man's hand sliced out thrusting the knife deep into Jason's stomach. With a grunt Jason fell to the ground and the man hurried away in the direction that Elizabeth had gone. Jason tried to get up and go after him, but fell back as a wave of intense pain washed over him.  
  
As Elizabeth was running away from her attacker she thought that she heard sounds of a fight behind her. She was halfway to the penthouse when she realized that someone could be on the docks in need of help. She doubled back and crept cautiously down the stairs. 


	4. Chapter 3

"JASON!!" Elizabeth screamed when she saw him lying on the ground in a pool of blood. She ran down the stairs blindly almost tripping and falling flat on her face. She rushed to his side and took one hand in hers, her other hand immediately going to the pulse point on his neck. She breathed a little easier when she felt a faint, but steady, pulse.  
  
"Jason .. Jason, can you hear me?" She asked. Jason's eyelids fluttered open. "Elizabeth." He muttered weakly. Elizabeth smiled. "It's going to be okay Jason." She began searching for the cell phone that he always carried.  
  
Jason shook his head. "No Elizabeth. You have to get out of here now. That man could still be looking for you. Go to Sonny and tell him what happened." He demanded. But Elizabeth stubbornly shook her head. "I am NOT leaving you! Do you hear me? I will not leave you."  
  
It was at that moment that she felt a pair of hands grab her from behind and press something that smelled awful over her nose. The last thought that crossed her mind before the darkness claimed her was .. Jason.  
  
Jason saw it happening, but was powerless to stop it. He struggled against the pain until he finally made it to his feet. Reaching for his gun he cocked it warningly at the man.  
  
"Let her go." Jason said, his voice lethally calm as the man began dragging Elizabeth away.  
  
Her body was hanging limply in the guy's arms. The man ignored Jason continuing to drag her farther away from him. With some effort Jason brought the gun up and aimed it straight at the man's head repeating his command. The man wavered indecisively, not sure what he should do.  
  
Before the man could make up his mind, Jason felt a blow to the side and pain shot through his body. Jason clutched his side and dropped to the ground, his gun skittering away from him. The unknown assailant began repeatedly kicking him in the side.  
  
"Let's go." Jason heard the sharp command from the man holding Elizabeth. The other man kicked Jason once more before complying with the order.  
  
Jason struggled against the overwhelming waves of pain, sweat glistening across his forehead. He finally made it to his feet, but by then it was already too late. There was no sign of Elizabeth or the men that had taken her. Feeling the energy leaving his body Jason collapsed onto the docks. 


	5. Chapter 4

Sonny was on his way to the warehouse because there was a problem with a shipment and no one could find Jason. He was angry because it wasn't like Jason to disappear without telling him.  
  
As he and Johnny headed down the stairs and toward the warehouse they stopped, noticing a body on the docks. Johnny moved forward drawing his gun and glancing around quickly for any signs of trouble.  
  
Johnny crept cautiously over to the body on the docks. He checked for a pulse quickly before turning the person over. He blinked in surprise.  
  
"Mr. Corinthos, it's Jason and he's hurt badly." The bodyguard announced putting his gun away. Sonny hurried down the stairs to his best friends side.  
  
"Jason, can you hear me?" Sonny asked shaking Jason's shoulders tentatively. Sonny turned his head slightly to look at his guard. "Johnny, call for an ambulance." When the guard didn't move quickly enough Sonny shouted. "NOW!"  
  
"Liz .. beth." Jason whispered his eyelids fluttering.  
  
"What?" Sonny asked turning back to his friend. Jason's eyes were half lidded. "Help .. .. her." He choked out.  
  
"What happened to her?" Sonny asked. Jason's eyes rolled back into his head and for one horrible moment Sonny thought Jason had died.  
  
Sonny let out a deep breath as he checked for a pulse, faint, but there. Sonny stayed by his friends side until the medics pushed him aside. Along with the paramedics, a couple of squad cars had pulled up. Sonny let out a long frustrated sigh as he saw Taggert sauntering up to him.  
  
"What happened Corinthos, anger boy finally get a brain and stand up to you?" He taunted, coming to a stop in front of Sonny.  
  
"Taggert." Sonny said with barely suppressed anger. "I don't have time for this." He said pushing past the detective.  
  
"You will make time. This is a crime scene, and surprise, you just happen to be here. It all adds up to something bad. So what happened? Someone try to take over your territory? Or did someone come after you and Jason just got in the way?"  
  
Sonny scrubbed his hand over his face. "You know what Taggert? Why don't you concentrate on finding out what happened to Jason. I was going to the warehouse to take care of some business and I found Jason laying on the docks. That's it. That's all I know." He said, taking a patronizing tone with the detective. "Now if that's all Detective, I have somewhere I need to be." Not waiting for response Sonny walked away, leaving a very irate Taggert behind. 


	6. Chapter 5

As soon as Sonny was safely in his Limo he pulled out his cell phone dialing a familiar number. "Benny, we have a problem that needs attention right away."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Sonny was at General Hospital waiting to hear about Jason. Monica, who had just happened to be on duty when Jason was brought in, came over to the nurses station and said something to the nurse behind the desk that Sonny couldn't hear. When she turned around and saw him sitting there she sighed and walked towards him.  
  
"I assume that you're waiting to hear about Jason." Monica said unable to mask the contempt in her voice.  
  
Sonny nodded. "How's he doing?"  
  
"He's stable. Luckily the knife just narrowly missed all of his major organs." Her voice shook with emotion. "But it was close Sonny, if the knife had just been a couple of inches over there wouldn't have been anything that we could've done for him." Her eyes stung with unshed tears as she said the words out loud. Her son had almost died because of the man in front of her.  
  
"He won't be awake for the rest of the night. So," she heaved a great sigh, "you should go home and get some rest." She walked away from him without another word.  
  
Sonny was gathering his coat when he heard her. He let out a low groan and stopped in his tracks.  
  
"Carly." He muttered turning around.  
  
She was standing at the nurses station, yelling at the woman behind the desk. "I want to see him NOW!!" Carly brought her face just inches from the other woman's face.  
  
"Ma'am, you need to back off before I call security." The nurse said calmly, staring Carly down with unblinking eyes.  
  
Sonny sighed as he pulled Carly away. "That won't be necessary." He told the nurse taking his wife by the arm and leading her away.  
  
She went willingly but not before she sent a withering look at the nurse behind the desk.  
  
"Sonny, what happened to Jason?" She asked him as he led her to the elevator bank. When he didn't answer she pulled her arm from his grasp and stubbornly refused to move. "Sonny, I am not going anywhere until you tell me what happened to Jason."  
  
Sonny felt like he wanted to scream. Instead he just pulled Carly away from the elevator and over to a couch nearby. "I don't really know all of it myself right now. I was on the way to the warehouse and Johnny and I just found Jason on the docks. He was stabbed." He paused when he saw the fear written clearly on her face. This was the reason he didn't want to involve Carly in his life. But she demanded to know. And as afraid as she was, he also knew that she was strong enough to handle his life. "I don't know by who." He continued. Monica says that Jason's stable now but that he won't be awake for the rest of the night."  
  
Carly let out a relieved breath. Jason's okay, he's okay, she thought as she leaned into Sonny for support. 


	7. Chapter 6

When Elizabeth woke up her head was pounding and there was darkness all around her. She tried to move her arms but found that they were tightly bound. She forced her body to relax as she tried to clear her sludge filled brain.  
  
Then it was suddenly all too clear. She remembered finding Jason laying on the docks, bleeding. And she remembered being so afraid that Jason was going to die.  
  
"Oh God." She breathed. "Jason." She started struggling against her bonds, the nylon biting into her wrists.  
  
A low chuckle surrounded her. Rough and deep, coming from somewhere over her shoulder.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Elizabeth asked her captor, her voice cracking from the dryness in her throat.  
  
Elizabeth heard footsteps approaching her. The footsteps stopped and she heard the sound of a chair being pulled along the floor.  
  
"Who are you? And what do you want from me?" Elizabeth repeated her questions, her voice more calm than she felt. The blindfold that she had been wearing was roughly ripped away from her eyes. She blinked profusely at the sudden light, squinting to get her bearings.  
  
"Hello Miss Webber." Elizabeth could barely make out the man sitting in front of her only a few feet away, his face masked completely in the shadows. The room she was being held in was lit by a single dim bulb in the corner.  
  
"Who are you?" Elizabeth demanded, her terror giving way to anger. She was so tired of getting kidnapped.  
  
"Someone who has a score to settle with Morgan. And you're going to help me." The man's voice was rough and low making it completely unrecognizable.  
  
Elizabeth raised her chin defiantly. "What makes you think I would do that?"  
  
She heard him sigh deeply. "Don't make me show you what happens when things don't go my way." His voice was deadly calm and devoid of emotion. "I hate it when things get messy." 


	8. Chapter 7

Jason woke with a start. He let out a breath through clenched teeth as he took in his surroundings. A beeping noise came from his right. He felt trapped and tried to get out of his hospital bed but found that he had an IV stuck in his arm.  
  
He hated hospitals. Jason didn't like not having control over his own body. He pulled the IV out quickly, wincing slightly, and went in search of his clothes. Once dressed Jason made his way out of the hospital undetected and hurried to the penthouse.  
  
Sonny had finally convinced Carly to get some rest, but was unable to sleep himself. He stood at the window looking out over the harbor. It was very early in the morning so everything was quiet and peaceful.  
  
Within an instant the peace was broken as Jason exploded through the door to the penthouse. Sonny turned around quickly, startled by the sudden noise in the midst of all the silence.  
  
"Jason! What the hell are you doing here? You should be in the hospital resting." Sonny said. His face was a mixture of anger and concern.  
  
"I'm fine. I couldn't just lay there and do nothing while Elizabeth has been kidnapped." Jason's voice full of barely controlled anger.  
  
A noise came from the stairs causing both men to turn. Carly was standing at the top tying her robe around her. "What is it with her? Doesn't she do anything anymore besides get kidnapped?" Carly said with unveiled contempt.  
  
"Carly, not now." Sonny growled.  
  
Carly ignored him and continued down the stairs. She grabbed Jason by the arm and dragged him to sit on the couch. "You should be resting now and not worrying about Princess Purity." The concern for him was evident in her voice.  
  
"Carly .. " Sonny said warningly. She shot him a pointedly icy look. She really hated it when he jumped to Elizabeth's defense.  
  
Jason opened his mouth to comment but his cell phone rang. He shot Carly a look that meant 'keep your mouth shut and mind your own business'.  
  
"Morgan." He answered edgily.  
  
"Jason?" Elizabeth's voice came over the line, her voice small and full of fear.  
  
"Elizabeth are you all right? Where are you?" Jason asked worriedly.  
  
"I'm not hurt but I have a gun pointed at me." She answered. Jason heard her cry out sharply. "Ok, I'm going to tell him." She said through clinched teeth, obviously talking to her captor. Her voice now held anger and determination. "He says to meet him on the docks in one hour .. Don't do it Jason, he's setting a trap for you." She finished quickly.  
  
Jason heard Elizabeth cry out in pain. "Stop! Please!" Elizabeth screamed. And Jason saw red.  
  
"You listen to me!!" Jason shouted angrily into the phone.  
  
He could hear breathing, rough & deep, letting him know that the man was listening. "If you touch her again I'll make you beg for a quick death." Jason promised darkly.  
  
"Be on the docks in one hour or there won't be enough of her left to bury." The man said completely ignoring Jason's threat. 


	9. Chapter 8

"What are you thinking Jason? You know that it's a trap. How is this going to help Elizabeth?" Sonny demanded.  
  
Carly had muttered something under her breath about precious Elizabeth and retreated upstairs. And Jason had just finished telling Sonny what had happened on the phone.  
  
"If this was Carly would you even be standing here right now? Regardless of the danger to you? Wouldn't you do anything in your power to make sure you got her back, no matter what the personal cost?" Jason stood, his voice calm and measured, laced with guarded anger.  
  
Sonny just stood there, not sure what to say because he knew that Jason was right. There wasn't anything that he wouldn't do to make sure Carly was safe.  
  
Jason sighed deeply. "You know what will happen to her if I don't do this." Jason began to walk away from his friend.  
  
"Jason." Sonny called out. Jason stopped but didn't turn around.  
  
"Be careful." Sonny watched as Jason disappeared through the door. Then he quickly made his way to the desk and picked up the phone. He punched a button and was instantly connected.  
  
"Benny, something's happening. I need you to have Jason followed. Don't intervene in whatever he does. Just follow him and let me know where he's at." Sonny ordered gravely.  
  
Jason was on the docks in record time. He'd been all over the area looking for signs of a trap and he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. It was ten minutes past the agreed upon time and by now Jason was more than a little jumpy.  
  
His instincts were telling him that something wasn't right. That he should get out of there immediately. But he ignored his feelings, something he would never usually do, because he knew this was the only way to save Elizabeth.  
  
"Morgan." He heard the voice behind him as if it were right on top of him. He started to turn around to see who the voice belonged to when something cold and hard was pressed to his temple. He recognized it immediately as the muzzle of a gun.  
  
Jason tensed, ready for a fight. As if sensing what Jason was about to do the man behind him cocked the gun and sighed heavily.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Then how would you ever find your pretty little girlfriend?" He taunted Jason.  
  
Jason had a strange sense that he knew that voice. But he couldn't really place it. He knew at least one thing, it wasn't the voice from earlier. "What do you want?" Jason asked through clenched teeth.  
  
"You." That was the last thing that Jason heard before the guy pistol whipped him and the world went black. 


	10. Chapter 9

Elizabeth was worried sick. If she hadn't been tied to a chair then she would've been up pacing the floors. She had overheard the other men talking about doing some horrible things to Jason. And she knew that whoever had kidnapped her had gone to meet Jason. She hoped that Jason had someone looking out for him. But deep down she knew that he wouldn't. He wouldn't have anyone with him because he would never put her in jeopardy like that.  
  
Elizabeth's ears perked up as she heard a door down the hall being opened. She heard grunting and the sound of someone being drug along the floor.  
  
Sometime during the ride Jason had revived, only to find that his hands were cuffed behind him and there was a blindfold over his eyes. Now someone was dragging him down what was apparently a hallway. But he wasn't about to go easily.  
  
"Stop fighting Morgan." The man that was dragging him grunted through clenched teeth.  
  
"I want to see Elizabeth." Jason demanded, still dragging his feet.  
  
When Elizabeth heard Jason she felt both worry and relief at the same time. In a weird sort of way she was glad that he was there. But on the other hand she was worried about all those things that she had overheard the men talking about.  
  
"JASON!" Elizabeth called out.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked anxiously, his voice echoing in the desolate warehouse.  
  
"I'm scared Jason." Elizabeth cried out.  
  
"You don't have to be scared, I'm going to do everything that I can to get you out of here." He promised, his voice strong and assuring.  
  
"I know." Elizabeth said, her voice soft and full of faith for the man that she loved.  
  
Elizabeth heard Jason struggling with the guard who was still trying to drag Jason away. "Jason, please don't fight them. I don't want them to hurt you." Elizabeth pleaded. When she heard a thud her heart propelled into her stomach.  
  
"Jason?" Elizabeth called. "Are you okay?" Her question was answered by one of the guards outside her door. "He's fine .. for now." The man said with a maniacal laugh. 


	11. Chapter 10

"Come on Morgan wakey wakey." A familiar voice said. Jason shook his head groggily. He found that his blindfold had been removed and looked around quickly. He was now cuffed to a chair in a small dingy room that was only partially lit by a bulb somewhere overhead.  
  
"It's no fun torturing someone if they're not awake to scream." The voice said menacingly. Jason said nothing, still scanning the room for a way out. Something cold and hard made contact with his face, making the whole left side of his head feel on fire.  
  
But Jason didn't utter a sound. He brought his head up to defiantly meet the eyes of his attacker. When the man's face came into view the look on Jason's face changed briefly from one of anger to one of shock.  
  
"Surprised to see me?" Taggert said smiling psychotically.  
  
Elizabeth was freaking out. She was so worried about Jason that she didn't even hear the door to her cell open. "Well, aren't you just a pretty little thing?" The guard said circling around her chair.  
  
Elizabeth's attention went immediately to the man who was now standing in front of her. He was a tall man, not extremely heavy but not a thin man either, and he smelled like he hadn't known a bar of soap all his life.  
  
"What do you want?" Elizabeth asked, hiding the fear in her voice as she eyed the man warily. The man squatted down so that he was at her eye level. "I just want to get to know you better." He said placing a hand on the upper inside of her thigh.  
  
"You're sure that Jason's in there?" Sonny asked Benny. Sonny, Benny, and about half a dozen of Sonny's men were standing outside of what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse.  
  
The roof of the building was hanging so low that Sonny was worried that it might collapse at any minute. All the windows of the building were either broken or blacked out and the stench of garbage hung heavily in the air.  
  
"Positive." Benny answered. Sonny nodded to his men, who all had their guns drawn and ready. He pointed to three of his best men. "You find Elizabeth Webber and get her out of there." He ordered. "You other three come with me to get Jason. And Benny, you stay here. If we're not out in a half hour you know what to do."  
  
"Get your damn hands off of me." Elizabeth commanded, her fear now giving way to fury. Something told her that he wasn't even listening to anything she said anymore. The hand that had been resting on her thigh had changed positions and was now aiding the other one in prying her legs apart.  
  
"You don't want to do this." Elizabeth threatened weakly. The man laughed roughly. "I really really do." He said with a grunt as he finally managed to pry her legs apart. As he forced her legs open she was flooded by memories of when she was fifteen. He knelt between her legs and reached up to undo her jeans. 


	12. Chapter 11

Content WARNING : This chapter contains an attempted rape scene  
  
Jason looked up into the face of the cop who had hassled him on more occasions than he cared to remember. Jason's face looked as if it could've been carved out of stone. "Let Elizabeth go." Jason ordered.  
  
Taggert's laughter rang through the warehouse, as if Jason had just told a joke. He stopped abruptly and leaned down to Jason, his face full of disgust and hatred.  
  
"I am so sick of you. I couldn't take just one more day of this. I couldn't just stand by and watch innocent people die because of you and Sonny anymore. I decided to take things into my own hands." As soon as he said this he brought a knife into view. Without another word he plunged it into Jason's shoulder.  
  
"I'm going to give back to you every ounce of pain that you've caused and then some." Taggert promised twisting the knife just a little before pulling it out and plunging it into Jason's upper leg. Jason let out a strangled groan, his head falling back. Taggert reached up and grabbed Jason by the hair, hauling his head back upright. "Don't quit on me yet, we're just getting started." Taggert said with a cruel grin.  
  
Elizabeth choked back a sob. Not again, her mind screamed. Not again. This man was going to rape her and there was nothing that she could do. Her pleas for him to stop only seemed to excite him more. He moved his hand slowly down her belly, caressing her with small motions of his fingers, paused, then began to move back up, palm flat, fingers extended to touch as much of her as possible.  
  
"JASON!" Elizabeth cried out. Anger flashed in the man's eyes and he hit her hard across her face silencing her. "Don't fight it or it will go a lot harder." He threatened. Elizabeth felt the bile rising up in her throat. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore the feeling of his hands as he grabbed her breasts brutally. Instead she tried to focus on better things. Memories of Jason, their rides, and their future.  
  
The door to the cell was flung open, bringing her out of her reverie. Elizabeth heard the unmistakable sound of a silencer and opened her eyes in time to see the man in front of her, the man who had been just about to rape her, fall over. His eyes were glazed and he had a small hole in his forehead.  
  
Three men rushed into the room and untied her. One of the men, who Elizabeth recognized as Francis, her first guard and friend, helped her stand. He held her close as a wave of emotions hit her like a wall. She sobbed, clinging to Francis.  
  
"It's okay Miss Webber. Mr. Corinthos sent us. We're here to take you home." Francis said soothingly, holding her safe in his arms. "Jason .. " Elizabeth said between sobs. "It's being taken care of." He promised, leading her out of the warehouse.  
  
Night was just beginning to fall as they left the warehouse. Elizabeth looked at the bodyguard who held her protectively to his side. "Francis." She said. She looked at him and even after all that she had just been through, her lips twitched into a small smile. "I think that you can call me Elizabeth now." 


	13. Chapter 12

When Jason heard Elizabeth scream it tore out his heart. She was in trouble and there was nothing that he could do to help her. "Taggert, Elizabeth's in trouble. I know that you don't want to see her get hurt. As much as you hate me you know that she's innocent." Jason prodded.  
  
Something flashed in Taggert's eyes and for a second Jason was sure that Taggert was going to go to Elizabeth. Taggert shook his head. "She chose her life. She chose to be with you even knowing what you do for Sonny. In my books that makes her just as guilty as you." He said putting the knife away.  
  
Taggert pulled his gun out of his holster. "It's time to end this. And when I'm done with you, your little girlfriend is next." He said with an malevolent glint in his eyes. He brought his gun up and aimed for Jason's heart. "Justice is served." He said cocking the gun.  
  
Just before Taggert could pull the trigger Jason heard the sound of the door opening and then the unmistakable sound of a silenced gun going off. He watched as Taggert slumped to the ground, blood trickling out of his mouth.  
  
Sonny came out of the shadows, his gun still pointed at Taggert who was gasping for breath. Sonny beckoned to someone behind him with his free hand and one of Sonny's men came into the room.  
  
Sonny took aim at Taggert's heart, squeezing the trigger several times. "Now Justice is served." Sonny mocked Taggert. He motioned to two other men behind him. "Dispose of the body." He ordered. "We need the keys." Jason said straining to the side to let Sonny see the handcuffs. One of the guards tossed the keys to Sonny, who then un-cuffed Jason.  
  
"Told you it was a trap." Sonny said, his voice hard but his eyes held a bit of amusement. Jason shook his head, his lips twitching. "Always have to be right don't you?" He asked his friend, as they walked away from the mess behind them.  
  
A lone man stood across from the warehouse, completely enveloped in the shadows. He watched silently as a few men carried the bodies of several men out to a waiting car. He shook his head and sighed. "This is very disappointing." He said, fading back into the shadows even more, disappearing into the dark night. 


	14. Chapter 13

A few days later Jason found himself at Kelly's watching Elizabeth work. He was standing outside looking in. She glanced up and when she saw him her whole face lit up. She said something to a girl behind the counter and walked towards the door. It was as if that day in hell had been nothing but a nightmare. Jason shook his head, he never quite got over just how strong Elizabeth really was.  
  
"Hi Jason." She said coming out of the restaurant. She came in close and gave him a hug. He held her to him, her familiar scent surrounding him. She pulled back after a little while and he felt a sudden stab of loss. She grabbed his hand in hers pulling him over to one of the outside tables.  
  
"How are you?" She asked sitting down.  
  
Jason sat down across from her and shrugged.  
  
"I'll live." Her lips twitched at the familiar answer. "How are you doing?" He asked her, concern apparent in his voice and on his face.  
  
"I'm okay. Better, now that you're here." She said giving him a bright smile.  
  
"Elizabeth, we need to talk." Jason said seriously.  
  
The smile on Elizabeth's face faltered a little. "Don't Jason. I know what you're going to say so don't."  
  
Elizabeth reached across the table to take his hands, linking their fingers. Jason looked down at their joined hands and was amazed once again at just how well they fit together. "We'll make it work." She promised. He raised his head to look into her eyes. There was so much pain in Jason's eyes that it hurt Elizabeth to look at him.  
  
"Elizabeth .. " Jason began.  
  
"Don't Jason. I'm begging you. I can't lose you. Especially not now." She said, the smile was gone from her face now and her eyes glistened with tears.  
  
"It's not safe for you to be with me. You're a target because of me. And I can't go on pretending that everything's okay. I can't protect you." Jason said pulling his hands out of hers gently. "You have to stay away from me." He said standing.  
  
Elizabeth got to her feet, the tears spilling down her cheeks as she heard Jason say those all too familiar words.  
  
Jason watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks, his hand automatically moved to wipe it away but he stopped mid way letting it drop back to his side.  
  
"Jason, please don't walk away. Don't give up on us." She pleaded with him, angrily wiping her tears away.  
  
"Elizabeth, I can't protect you all the time. You're going to be hurt because of me. You could die because of me. Don't you understand that?" Jason said harshly, his anger and pain hitting him hard.  
  
"I understand the risks. I've always understood. But my faith in you is unshakable. I know that you'll always do everything in your power to make sure that I'm safe. And that's enough for me." Elizabeth walked closer to him. "No one is ever completely safe Jason. I will never be completely safe, even if I'd never met you. But I know that I'm a hell of a lot safer, and happier, when I'm with you."  
  
Jason couldn't stop his actions this time. His hands came up to frame her face and leaned his forehead against hers.  
  
"Stay." Elizabeth whispered.  
  
"I can't ." Jason said, his voice cracking. "I love you Elizabeth." He leaned in and kissed her lips softly, not lingering too long. He knew that if he held her for just one second longer, if he kissed her like he wanted to, that he would never be able to walk away. And he had to, it was the only way he knew to keep her safe. He pulled away from her, desperately trying to ignore the pain that flooded her eyes. He turned and walked away, his face as hard as stone.  
  
Elizabeth stood still, watching him walk away. Tears once again forming in her eyes. Her throat felt tight, and she struggled to breathe.  
  
"I love you too." She whispered through her tears.  
  
The End 


End file.
